Memorial for 20,000 dead to mark six-months of occupation: Friday September 19th, 6.30pm, Parliament Square: Activists will be marking the six-month anniversary of the invasion of Iraq with a memorial ceremony to remember the thousands who have died during the invasion and occupation. Placards, each bearing the name and picture of one of the dead, will be displayed at a candle-lit vigil accompanied by short readings.
So far between 6,000 - 8,000 Iraqi civilians, 13,500 Iraqi soldiers and 340 “coalition” forces have died in the invasion and occupation of Iraq [2].
A spokesperson for voices [1] said: ‘On the 19th March Tony Blair and George Bush launched an illegal attack on Iraq, which has thus far resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 Iraqis. However, unlike the deaths of US and British soldiers - or those killed in the 9/11 atrocities – these deaths appear to have been all but forgotten here in the West. Even when they are mentioned they usually feature as a mere statistic, not as real flesh-and-blood human beings.
‘We are gathering today to remember all those who have been killed – civilians, soldiers, UN workers, journalists and aid workers – and to tell the stories of a tiny fraction. We are also here
to demand that the US and British governments are held responsible for this criminal invasion and its consequences.
‘Today, Iraq lies in chaos and US/UK forces - attacked on an almost daily basis - continue to kill Iraqi civilians with apparent impunity. This cannot be allowed to continue. The US/UK military occupation of Iraq must end.’
NOTES
[1] Established in 1998 to campaign against the economic sanctions on Iraq, voices uk has sent 11 sanctions-breaking delegations to Iraq and organised numerous anti-war actions, both big and small. See www.voicesuk.org.
[2] For Iraqi civilian casualties see www.iraqbodycount.org. Figures derived from a comprehensive survey of online media reports and eyewitness accounts, independently reviewed and error-checked by the Iraq Body Count project team. For estimates of Iraqi military casualties see ‘Body Counts’ (Guardian, 28th May 2003): www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,965089,00.html. For “coalition” forces see www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/index.html.
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